Turning Point
by SuperOreoMan
Summary: At 16, Becky Botsford has enough to deal with—like her upcoming biology project with Tobey—without the added troubles of being a superhero. But after an encounter with lexonite leaves her with some unexpected side effects, things start getting complicated. Tobey is changing, and not necessarily for the better; will she be able to save him—and the city—before it's too late? Tobecky
1. Chapter 1

**This is just kind of an intro chapter, to show you how things have changed now that Becky's in high school. I could _not_ get the idea for this story out of my head, so here it is!**

**Enjoy!**

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Becky Botsford opened her locker with a blurry spin of the combination lock, whipping open the door to exchange a stack of textbooks with a smaller, lighter stack of novels—which she had just checked out from the school's library—and thrusting them into her backpack. No one in the hallway was paying attention to her, so she used a bit of her super-powers to speed up the process so she could get going. It was Friday, and she only had AP Biology left today before she could go home for the weekend. She couldn't _wait_ to just get home and relax.

**«It was the end of the school week at Woodview High, with only one more class until—» **

"Can you _please_ stop doing that?" Becky hissed at the Narrator, glaring upward at nothing in particular.

**«Oh, **_**right**_**. You don't **_**like**_** it when I narrate anymore. »**

"No!" Becky snapped through clenched teeth, ignoring the Narrator's pouting. "I've been asking you not to for years—I thought we'd been _over _this…"

As she and her friends had gotten older, people had started noticing the Narrator more often. Worse, they noticed when she _responded_ to the Narrator at times when he was talking to only her. Which made her seem a _bit_ crazy. So, Becky had been trying to gradually discourage the Narrator from narration…but it was proving to be more difficult than getting Bob to stop gorging himself on bananas.

**«Right, I **_**forgot**_**—you don't **_**need**_** a Narrator anymore! »**

"No, I don't! So cut it out!"

Becky stood tensely with her locker held open and her backpack hefted over one shoulder, waiting for the Narrator's usual cheeky retort. After a few moments of nothing but the general sounds of the halls between classes, Becky let out a pent-up sigh of relief. Pressing her locker closed and wandering toward Biology, she was able to relax again, and look forward to relaxing this weekend.

Of course there was that new, young villain that had been ruining all her plans lately. Since she was older, WordGirl delivered more of a butt-kicking than she had as a kid, so most of her old foes had either been arrested or disappeared into the woodwork, although there were still a couple that caused chaos on occasion. For the most part, the villains she put away now _stayed_ away, so she didn't have to spend as much time fighting crime as she had when she was a preteen, which was nice.

By the time Becky made it to Biology, her bench partner was already in his seat—early, as usual. She saw him scrawling intently in a notebook, not even looking up as she took her seat beside him and set her AP Biology textbook on the table. As she dug through her backpack for her pencil case, Becky heard his notebook snap closed.

"Hello, Becky," he finally greeted, tapping his pencil on the table jadedly.

"Hi, Tobey," she replied with a small smile as she met his bright blue gaze.

It had been about three years ago when Tobey McCallister had finally stopped vying for WordGirl's attention via the use of giant, destructive robots. He had finally understood that that was entirely the wrong way to go about it, and as he outgrew the annoying façade, he had actually become a pretty nice person. Tobey still built robots on occasion, just not the huge, city-destroying kind.

"Did you read the chapter last night?" Tobey asked, looking at her.

"Yeah."

"Good, because I didn't," he admitted guiltily. He fidgeted with his pencil. "It was on…ecosystems, right?"

Becky nodded. "And she asked us to read the part of chapter 24—"

"On symbiotic relationships," he finished, nodding slowly. "Yes, I read that yesterday."

Becky studied Tobey as he stared distractedly into space. He was so different now than the way he used to be. While his appearance hadn't changed that drastically—other than the recent growth spurt that had resulted in his towering stature—his demeanor was entirely different from the overconfident, competitive miscreant he had once been. Now, after getting to know him in the classes they'd had together, he was actually pretty nice, and fun to be around. She wouldn't say they were friends exactly, but they weren't really rivals anymore either, and they got along well enough.

Tobey's thoughtful gaze drifted back to Becky as he frowned uncertainly. "Becky, do you think you could—I mean, would you mind—?"

The bell rang, cutting off Tobey's question. Their teacher—Mrs. Groves—pulled the door shut and walked to the front of the class. She picked up a stack of papers and started handing them out to the students, immediately bringing the class to a start and preventing Tobey from finishing his question. Becky's eyebrows knitted together. What had he been trying to ask?

"Okay, guys, this is your next project," Mrs. Groves began as she passed the papers out. "You all read last night's chapter, right? Well, this project has to do with ecosystems, and you'll be using what you read about symbiotic relationships to complete the project successfully. We'll be starting it next week, after we've gone over the sections in class."

Becky examined the rubric when it was handed to her, and passed one to Tobey. The paper was titled "Design a Bio-Bottle"—it looked like they were going to construct their own closed, self-sustainable ecosystems. Well, _this_ would certainly be interesting…

"_And_," Mrs. Groves continued as she walked back to the front of the class with the leftover papers. "You'll be working in pairs with your bench partner."

A series of groans drifted around the classroom. The class had been seated in alphabetical order at the beginning of the semester, so most people weren't sitting by friends. In fact, the only reason Becky wasn't partners with Victoria Best right now was because Becky had been added to the class late, since the school's scheduling program had messed up her classes and she'd had to almost completely reregister. Tobey had landed in the same predicament, which is why he was seated next to her.

Becky wasn't upset that she would have to be partners with Tobey. At least she knew the work would get done, and she was sure that they would get an A. Tobey was one of the few people that could match wits with Becky—and WordGirl. Sitting by him every day had proved to be an interesting experience, and not all that bad.

Mrs. Groves said something about one group of three, but it wasn't assigned to her group, so Becky wasn't really paying attention. She took out her handy ten-color pen and began taking notes as Mrs. Groves went through the power points on last night's chapters. Tobey didn't say anything for the rest of the class, he just scribbled down the notes with his textbook open.

* * *

After school, Becky waited outside the front of the school for Violet. The two best friends still walked home with each other, even though Violet had just gotten a car. "It's just for work", she'd say, and this way they could still spend time with each other, even though they didn't have any classes together. Becky often wished she could get a part-time job, but her duties as WordGirl prevented that possibility.

With a sigh, Becky glanced up at the clock—she'd been waiting for almost seven minutes already. Violet's last class was art, so sometimes she was pretty late, which didn't really bother Becky as long as she had a book or two. She pulled out one of the novels in her backpack and started reading at a slightly-above-average pace—to make it last longer—and checking the clock every so often. As the time she'd been waiting approached fifteen minutes, Violet Heaslip came bursting out the doors.

"I'm so sorry, Becky!" she apologized breathlessly. "I was—I was working on a sculpture I made for Scoops, and I was _so close_ to having it done—"

"It's fine, Violet, I don't mind waiting." Becky held up her book, smiling. "As long as I've got a book and no place to be, you can take as long as you like."

"Oh, thanks Becky! You're so great!" Violet exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend, who returned the hug.

As the two headed home, Violet told Becky all about the art project she'd been working on—a "found objects" sculpture for Scoops. Becky's crush on the reporter had long since dissolved, and she was really happy for Violet and Scoops, who had been dating for about a year. In fact, Violet said that was what she was making the sculpture for.

"And so I asked his mom if she'd let me have some of his old things he didn't want anymore, so I could use them together in the piece with the stuff of mine _I_ found," Violet continued breezily. "And Ms. Whimzy just loved all the things that I had, and how I arranged them, and then…"

While Violet was going on about her one-year sculpture for Scoops, the man everyone had deemed the "Help Guy" ran down the street next to them, yelling and flailing his arms.

"Heeelllp! Tobey is in the park with a horrible new robot!" the Help Guy exclaimed. He halted in front of an elderly couple, scratching his chin and glancing around. "Is this the police station?"

The couple shook their heads, and pointed him in the right direction.

"How on Earth does he _still_ not know where the police station is?" Becky muttered to herself.

**«As it turns out, the Help Guy has "Directional Dyslexia". Put simply, it means that he has absolutely no sense of direction, and gets lost on a regular basis. »**

"Hmm, that explains a—Hey!" Becky replied without thinking, glaring at the sky when she realized who she was talking to. "I've asked you to stop that!"

**«But I'm the Narrator. »**

"No, you're not!" she hissed.

"Becky?" Violet's gentle voice drew Becky's attention away from the Narrator. She was looking at Becky strangely. "Did you say something?"

"Oh, just that I forgot I was supposed to meet Bob at the vet today. He hasn't been feeling well lately," she lied easily.

Becky was much better at lying now. She wasn't proud of it, but to explain all the time she spent as WordGirl, she could deliver a convincing story at the drop of a hat. She no longer fumbled and stammered over a ridiculous excuse that hardly made sense, and her excuses were quick, simple, and—most importantly—believable.

"Oh, okay," Violet replied with a sympathetic expression. "I hope he feels better."

"I'll tell him you said so when I get there."

"Okay, Becky. Bye!"

"See ya!" Becky called to her friend as she took off down the street.

What was it the Help Guy had said? That Tobey was in the park with a horrible new robot? But…Tobey hadn't done anything like that in forever! Sure, sometimes he needed WordGirl's help subduing an out-of-control experiment, but it was never with bad intentions. Heck, Tobey had even offered to upgrade some of WordGirl's gear! So why had he built a new robot, and set it loose in the park?

After Becky was sure Violet was gone, she ducked behind a clump of bushes. Pressing two fingers against her chest, she shouted _"Word up!"_ and exploded into her WordGirl attire, taking off toward the park in a streak of light.

* * *

**Kinda boring, in retrospect, but I think it has its moments.**

**I swear, the next chapter will actually be interesting. This one kind of leads into it, and shows what's changed and stuff. In literary terms, it's the exposition! So please at least stick around for chapter 2—I've already been working on it, so it should be out pretty quick.**

**So, let me know what you think! How do you like it so far? What do you think will/should happen next? Suggestions! Comments! Questions! All are welcome (and wanted)! ! !**

**Your pal,**

**SuperOreoMan**


	2. Chapter 2

**I got such a great response from the first chapter that it really motivated me to get the second out, ASAP! I won't usually be able to update this quickly, but I wanted to get this one done for y'all. ****  
**

**Oh yes, and I don't own WordGirl. That goes for this entire story.**

**Enjoy!**

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**«When we last left our hero, she was on her way to the park to stop Tobey from doing terrible robot things! Just what **_**is**_** he up to? And will WordGirl be able to put an end to it? Stay tuned to find out! »**

The Narrator spoke quietly, trying to avoid a scolding from the heroine, but WordGirl was too lost in her own thoughts to notice the unwelcome commentary.

_Tobey? Causing trouble in the park? But I thought he'd gone good!_ she thought frantically. _He's been being so nice, and friendly, and, well, _not_ evil! What would make him turn villain again? _WordGirl just couldn't understand why Tobey would slip back into his old, nefarious ways. He'd seemed fine earlier at school that day… but wait—he'd been about to ask her something in AP Bio. But how could that have something to do with this now? She brushed it off as unimportant.

WordGirl shook her head, partly to clear her mind, and partly to get her hair out of her face as she streaked toward the park. Her long brown hair streamed out behind her, losing its curl at the high speed she was going. In no time at all, she was at the park—her hair bouncing back to its usual curl—hovering above a sheepish Tobey and his strange, new, and rather _large _robot.

"Oh, hello WordGirl, I was just—" he started to explain.

"Come on, Tobey, I thought you were done with the whole _"destroy the city with my robuts!"_ routine!" WordGirl announced, attempting to mimic his accent and letting her disappointment show.

"Yes, I…I mean, no, it's—was that supposed to be _me?_" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head quickly. "Never mind. It's just that this isn't a _bad_ robot. I mean, it wasn't created for villainous purposes."

When WordGirl examined the robot more closely, it didn't _really_ look like it was wreaking much havoc. It really didn't even look that intimidating, except for its size. It was a huge, clear, glass dome secured to a wide metal bottom by a belt of metal across the top. Inside the dome, the bottom was filled with a few feet of water, and a grassy island sat in the middle. A couple bushes and a small tree sat in the island, and an extendable arm was reaching for a sapling from the park to add to it. WordGirl watched as the top of the dome retracted so the mechanical arm could place the tiny tree inside, where it was gently planted in the island by the hand. She spotted a handful of fish in the water, a couple birds sitting in the tree, and she even noticed a small animal scurrying into one of the bushes. She looked to Tobey in confusion.

"Okay—what _is_ this?"

"It's for a school project," he explained, gesturing to the massive 'robot'. "My partner—I just wanted to make a great project for her, and I thought…well…"

"Oh!" WordGirl said as it hit her. "For the Bio-Bottle project!"

"Yes," Tobey confirmed in relief. "It's a—but, how did you know that?"

"Oh-ho," WordGirl laughed nervously, waving her hand dismissively. "_Every_body knows about that!"

"But…our teacher said it was something new she was trying…"

"Well, pfft, _yeah_, 'cause all the other schools have been doing it," WordGirl improvised, trying to lower her voice a bit to sound older. It was moments like this, where she was caught off guard around people that she knew, that worried her the most. She was always nervous that they would make the connection between Becky and WordGirl, but no one had come close for some time. While Tobey wasn't as obsessed with WordGirl as he used to be, he was still familiar with her from their occasional encounters, and now that Becky sat next to him every day, she was especially afraid that he would get suspicious.

"Well, I wasn't really doing anything _wrong_," Tobey explained, fidgeting with the remote. "I was just using some of the park's foliage for the Bio-Dome. I don't _believe_ it's against any rules, and I didn't think anyone would mind…"

"I guess no one does," WordGirl replied as she glanced around. No one seemed to be panicking, and there were even kids on a playground on the other side of the park. "I guess it was just the Help Guy. He said you had a "horrible new robot", so I came to investigate."

"It's not horrible!" Tobey argued indignantly, crossing his arms.

"His words, not mine," WordGirl clarified with her arms held up innocently. She drifted to the ground and looked at Tobey and his machine curiously. She began again, hesitantly. "So, it's for a project? And, you did this for your partner?"

Tobey flushed, nearly dropping his remote. "Y-yes, but…it's just she's quite a nice girl, and I wanted to make something great for her—for _us_, I mean, for our project, to be sure we get an A—and I just thought that it would—"

Suddenly, WordGirl's super-hearing caught an indistinct sound, just barely within earshot. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd heard it before. She forgot about Tobey as her eyes snapped to where the sound was coming from. She could just barely make out a tiny dot in the sky, which was slowly descending. WordGirl figured out what it was as she put together the familiar sight and sound—a meteorite. As it came closer, she realized that it was _much _larger than she had thought, maybe the size of a short school bus! The meteorite was gaining speed, and when she estimated its trajectory, she gasped.

"Oh no!" WordGirl exclaimed, leaping into the air. "That meteorite is heading straight for the playground!"

**«Will Becky appreciate Tobey's efforts? Will WordGirl be able to save the children on the playground from the falling meteorite? »**

"Of course I will!" she snapped, scowling. "And stop doing that!"

**«Will I ever be allowed to narrate again? »**

"No! So go away!"

**«Find out next time on…**_**WordGirl!**_** »**

"_Agh!_ My life is not an episode! So stop narrating it!"

**«You used to appreciate me… »**

WordGirl rolled her eyes. "I've got a space rock to catch."

Without another word, she zipped off to intercept the meteorite that was hurtling toward Earth. She looked from the young children playing on the playground, oblivious to the danger they were in, to the incoming meteorite, which seemed to be gaining speed—possibly faster than she could catch up with. WordGirl's eyes widened in alarm as she realized that she might not be able to reach it in time.

"Gotta…fly…_faster!_" she exclaimed, willing her super-speed to accelerate.

WordGirl put on as much extra speed as she could muster, which sent her rocketing into the side of the meteorite just before it would have obliterated the playground. The force of her impact knocked it off course and sent it flying across the park, and her with it.

"_Yes!_ I _did_ it!" she cheered.

That last-minute burst of speed must have taken more out of her than she had anticipated, because she was feeling weaker, and was unable to steer the meteorite as it hurtled into the forest at the edge of the park. The huge, foreign boulder finally came to a halt after smashing its way through several yards of woodland, where it shattered against the side of some rocky ledges protruding alongside the hiking trails.

WordGirl felt the breath knocked out of her when the meteorite exploded into thousands of tiny fragments, and she gracelessly fell amid its rocky debris. Her gasp of pain at the rubble digging into her skin brought new air into her lungs, clearing her head only for the pain to settle in. She felt frail and weak, and tried unsuccessfully to pick herself up. WordGirl managed to sit up, but she felt sick and exhausted. She couldn't remember ever feeling this bad, except when she had been exposed to… _Lexonite!_

**«Oh no—WordGirl, are you alright? »**

"I…I'm not sure…" she replied weakly, not even remembering to be upset with him. She stared at the broken meteorite around her, noticing for the first time the rock's odd, red and yellow coloring. "It's…it was lexonite…"

**«Uh oh…»**

"WordGirl!" The heroine jumped as Tobey, suddenly beside her, grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. She hadn't even heard him coming! Tobey was out of breath, and covered in scratches—had he been running? "WordGirl; are you okay?"

WordGirl tried to focus on his face, but the world was swimming and she felt herself starting to lose consciousness. She grabbed his hand and held on for dear life. Tobey was good now, right? So she could count on him…right? She tried to speak but her mouth wasn't cooperating. Her head swum as darkness prodded at the edge of her vision, and she fell backward into Tobey's arms, still clutching his hand with all of her remaining strength, as though willing him to understand.

"I need…ah needa go…" she murmured breathlessly. "Lexa—night. Lexa… L-lexa…nnn…"

"What? Who's Lexa?" Tobey asked, misunderstanding her pleas, but it was too late. He shook WordGirl in an attempt to wake her, but she was out cold. He looked around for help, but the park seemed to be abandoned now. What was he supposed to _do? _Glancing down at WordGirl's unconscious body, he got an idea.

"Oh, she's going to _kill_ me," he muttered.

Pulling the Bio-Dome's remote out of his pocket, Tobey commanded the robot to come pick him up. It was just outside the forest, since it was too bulky to maneuver through the trees, and he had used it to follow WordGirl after the meteorite had carried her into the woods. The Bio-Dome's extendable arm reached through the trees and carefully picked up its creator, and, consequently, WordGirl.

Once they were comfortably atop the giant dome, Tobey plugged in his next directions, and the machine started carefully forward…toward Tobey's house.

* * *

** Ha HA! **_**This**_** should be good…**

**The story's coming along a little more, and the next chapter will introduce one of WordGirl's new villains…and, you **_**might**_** get a glimpse of some of her "unexpected side effects"… ;)**

**Really guys, thanks for your reviews! They were all so kind and encouraging…so I really hope you liked this! Let me know how I'm doing!**

**Your pal,**

**SuperOreoMan **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, this is a relatively long chapter, so...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When Becky woke up, she was still very tired. She didn't open her eyes, but instead pulled her blankets closer around herself in a warm cocoon, covering her head. She wasn't ready to wake up yet—she was absolutely _exhausted_. How had she gotten this _tired?_

"Are you awake?" a soft voice asked. It was muffled through her closed door. Funny, she didn't remember shutting it.

"I'll be up in a bit, just give me ten more minutes…" Becky mumbled with a sigh, curling up tighter inside her nice little cocoon of warmth.

"You _are_ awake!" her mother's voice called again. "Wake up!"

But _was_ it her mother's voice? Maybe it was her dad's voice, or even TJ's, but it didn't seem quite right for any of them. And, _ugh_, why was she so _tired? _What had she been _doing_ last night? Wait…what _had_ she been doing? Becky tried to think back, but someone was suddenly shaking her, trying to get her to wake up.

"Are you alright?" the person asked urgently, their voice still muffled with her head stuffed into the bedding.

Becky froze. That voice…that _accent_…

"_TOBEY__‽_" she shrieked, leaping out of the bed in surprise. When Becky realized that she was hovering, she immediately dropped to the ground in a poor attempt to save her secret identity. Becky stumbled over the blanket she had wrapped herself in—which was now gathered around her legs—realized with a mix of relief and fear that she was still dressed as WordGirl, and leaped back into the air again.

Tobey had fallen backward in surprise when she had bolted into the air, watching her yo-yo between flight and standing, and was picking himself back up. As they each recovered from shock, Becky—WordGirl, at the moment—suddenly remembered what had happened; she had collapsed after her encounter with the lexonite, with Tobey at her side. WordGirl scanned the room only to find that it must've been Tobey's bedroom. WordGirl crossed her arms self-consciously—how long had she been here? And, not to mention, in Tobey's _bed? _

Tobey cleared his throat.

"Um, you were unconscious," he explained meekly. "And hurt, so…I brought you here?"

It all came rushing back: the Help Guy's panicking, the Bio-Dome and how Tobey had built it for her—_Becky_, not WordGirl—the playground being in danger, the meteorite of lexonite…her pleading for Tobey to help her…

"How long was I out?" WordGirl asked quietly after a few moments.

"Only about fifteen minutes."

_Fifteen minutes_. That was fifteen minutes she was out cold—her secret identity left vulnerable to the world—all the while being accompanied by Tobey, who had tried on many different occasions to discover WordGirl's alter ego. Fifteen minutes that she was totally at his mercy, where it would only take a second to unmask her and realize that she was none other than Becky Botsford.

So. There was one big question hanging in the air. WordGirl sank to the ground nimbly, hoping to diffuse some of the tension, yet only feeling it grow. She shifted uncomfortably, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear before mustering enough courage to ask the pressing question. "Um… Did you…?"

"No!" Tobey replied instantly, his eyes widening. "I wanted to—you have no _idea_ how tempting it was—but I felt that it was a bit unfair…and devious, sneaky; you know, and…since I've turned my back on my villainous ways… No, I didn't."

WordGirl felt a huge rush of relief, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Unable to help herself, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Tobey. If it weren't WordGirl's ability to fly, the force of her hug would've bowled them both over.

"Thank you, Tobey," she whispered. Tobey's face was red when she released him. She sent him a dazzling smile, and then in a blazing trail of light, WordGirl picked up the fallen blankets, re-made Tobey's bed, straightened a picture frame she had knocked when she first woke up, and flew out the window. "_For everything._"

Tobey blinked. WordGirl had left his room in a much better condition than she had arrived in. He had been anticipating a much worse reaction from the heroine. It had all been a very…_interesting _encounter, to say the least, but Tobey could only think one thing as he watched WordGirl's trail of light disappear from view:

"I have no idea what just happened."

* * *

Becky flew home in silence, unable to believe that after all that had happened that afternoon, it wasn't even four o'clock yet.

She landed silently in her backyard, turned back into Becky Botsford behind a tree, and walked inside. TJ was already stationed on the couch, stuffing handfuls of pretzels into his mouth as he stared intently at the TV. I guess that meant no Pretty Princess today… Becky knew that she was too old for kids' shows, but Pretty Princess was a guilty pleasure of hers, even if her brother had finally outgrown it.

Becky checked the time; her mom wouldn't be back from work for a few hours, and a note on the table told her that Dad was out shopping for "cheesecake-scented shoe polish, a snazzy new tie, and more bananas…_again_…". Really, all Becky wanted to do was sleep, even though she knew she should probably at least wait until after dinner. But that encounter with lexonite had really taken a lot out of her.

She hauled herself up the stairs, lugging her backpack behind her; she'd nearly forgotten to stop back at the park to pick it up on her way home from Tobey's house. Carrying her bag up the stairs was a real chore. After her exposure to lexonite, Becky was much weaker, and although she was able to fly without much of a problem, her other superpowers hadn't seemed to fully recharge yet. Geez, she didn't remember lexonite having this much of a lingering effect on her before. She'd have to tell Bob all about today's events—that is, if he was home.

Captain Huggy Face didn't fight with WordGirl much nowadays. He wasn't old yet—only about 27 in Earth years—but he wasn't as young as he used to be, either. The pains of battle hit him harder and stayed longer, more often than not. Lately, he'd been spending a lot of time out at their spaceship hideout, trying to get the ship back into working order. It was harder for him here. Becky had never lived on Lexicon, so she had nothing to want to go back to, nothing to miss. But Bob—his whole _life_ had been there. His family and friends. At this point he'd spent over half of his life on Earth, but Bob was homesick—Becky could tell. She would teasingly call Bob's behavior his "midlife crisis", but she worried about him. Becky just hoped that he would be able to get through this rough spot and enjoy life again, like he used to.

When Becky reached her room, she dropped her backpack on the floor and fell forward onto her bed. There was no sign of Bob, so she decided she would just take a nap. She was drained. Becky reached over to her nightstand and felt around for her backup communicator, rolling into a more comfortable position. It was like a walkie-talkie, but with way more features and a much bigger contact radius.

Just as she was about to use it to talk to Bob, she stopped, studying the small, handy device. It had been a gift from Tobey. He had given it to WordGirl a couple years ago in an apology for all the trouble he had caused when he was younger. She, of course, had had it scanned for bugs, and never gave away any personal information across the communicator, just in case Tobey could listen in—like with that stupid pen in fifth grade. So far it had been extremely handy, and it just made her think more about how much Tobey had changed.

"WordGirl to Huggy, are you there Huggy?" Becky called over the walkie-talkie.

After waiting several moments, her communicator came to life as she heard her sidekick's familiar squeak through the crackling speaker.

"I thought so. Something big happened today, Huggy—"

An alarmed screech interrupted her message.

"No, I'm fine, nothing really…_bad_ happened, I just wanted to talk to you about it."

Bob answered with a series of squeaks.

"Later's fine, I was going to take a nap anyway… Huggy, I'm ex_hausted_."

He chattered back at her.

"I'll tell you all about it later—just keep an eye out for any villains and wake me if there's trouble, okay?"

Bob let out a short chirp.

"'Kay, thanks, Huggy. See you later. Don't stay _too_ late."

He replied with a trill of chatter and finished off with a squeal.

"Aww, you too, buddy. Over and out."

She set the communicator back on her nightstand, behind a picture of her and Violet, and settled into her bed. She didn't even bother to get under the blankets—she was far too tired for that. Becky just situated herself comfortably and closed her eyes, starting to feel herself drift off immediately.

**«Well, your day's been pretty eventful. »**

Becky groaned and covered her head with her pillow. Come on! She just wanted to sleep! Was that too much to ask?

**«Okay, okay, I get the hint. Sleep tight! »**

* * *

**«The next day, as Becky Botsford **_**finally**_** wakes up after a showdown with a meteorite of lexonite—»**

"No, we're not starting this," Becky interrupted groggily, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Then she froze, finally processing what he had said, and bolted upright. "Wait, _what?_ "The next day"? I slept all _night?_"

**«You sure did. Captain Huggy Face was worried about you. »**

"Oh, great. Where is he?"

**«He's downstairs getting breakfast. »**

"Okay, thanks," she replied, realizing as she threw off her blankets that someone had thoughtfully covered her up in the night.

**«Don't mind having me narrate **_**now**_**, do ya? »**

Becky ignored the Narrator's snide comment and hurried downstairs to meet her family. The lovely smell of pancakes wafted up the stairs, and her mouth watered when she saw her family at a table stacked with pancakes, bacon, a bowl of fruit, and maple syrup and butter. _Oh dear lord, that smells delicious!_

"Becky!" her mother sang happily. "Glad to see you're up!"

Bob squeaked a warm welcome through a mouthful of food.

"Yeah, _some_one slept _all day_ yesterday," TJ commented dryly, before shoveling more pancakes into his mouth.

"Oh, TJ, it was hardly _all day_," their father corrected, smiling at his daughter. "And _boy_, Becky, were _you_ tuckered out! I tried to wake you when I got home—to show you my new snazzy light-up tie—but you were totally out! _Wow!_"

"Yeah, I guess I was pretty tired," Becky confessed. "Sorry I slept so long…I didn't mean to miss dinner."

"Nah, it's no bother. Now you have more energy for today: _Saturday!_" her dad cheered.

Becky grabbed a plate and sat down at the table, stacking food on her plate while her parents talked about taking TJ to his baseball game or something. Bob nudged her curiously and shrugged—he wanted to know what had happened yesterday.

"Later, Bob," Becky answered before taking a large bite of breakfast. "I'll tell you on the way to the park. I told Violet I'd meet her there today."

Bob gave a satisfied chirp, and dug into his food again.

* * *

**«Later, when Becky is on her way to the park to meet up with her best friend, Violet…»**

Becky rolled her eyes, unwilling to pick a fight with the Narrator today. Bob shook his fist toward the sky with a series of angry screeches, knowing that having her life narrated bothered Becky.

She had just told him everything that had happened the day before, and now the duo walked in silence, just thinking. Bob was contemplating Becky's severe reaction to the lexonite, while Becky's thoughts had wandered to Tobey. She had been kind of pushing those thoughts away since last night, but her explanation for Bob had brought it all back to the surface. That creation Tobey had made…was to impress her? And not WordGirl this time, but _her_—Becky Botsford? To make a project that she would love? And then, how she'd been in his room—_unconscious_—and he hadn't tried to take advantage of her vulnerability and find out her secret identity. That was very big of him. She felt something toward him now…a newfound respect, and utter gratefulness.

"Becky!"

Violet's call jerked Becky from her thoughts, and she smiled as her friend ran to catch up to her.

"Hi, Violet! Whatcha got there?" Becky asked curiously, seeing something sparkle from within Violet's grasp.

"Here, Becky, I made this for you," Violet began excitedly. She held up a necklace and used her other hand to reach for a matching one around her neck. "See? I made us friendship necklaces! They match and everything!"

Violet handed Becky the necklace happily. It was made from shimmery pink, blue, and yellow cords knotted artfully together, with a beautiful yellow, crystalline stone hanging from the center of the necklace. The crystal in particular caught Becky's attention. The sunlight danced off the faceted sides of the drop-shaped stone, making it glimmer from within and shine brightly.

"Oh, Violet, it's beautiful!" Becky praised, admiring the gift.

"I found these in the park," Violet explained softly, pointing to the yellow crystals on the necklaces, "and they just looked so pretty, and sparkly, and magical, and I wished you could be there with me to see them!"

"Wow, Violet…well I'm honored! Would you help me put it on?"

"Sure, Becky! I'm so glad you like it!"

When Violet fastened the necklace around her neck, Becky just felt lighter and happier. Being with her best friend filled her with a new energy, and the trio skipped off toward the park to the tune of "We're Off to See the Wizard". Bob had fun chasing the girls around, pretending to be an evil flying monkey, until they reached the park, where Violet set up her painting materials and Becky started to write and doodle in a notebook. They spent the afternoon that way, while Bob wandered between climbing trees, checking out WordGirl's "ground zero" from the day before, and returning to the spaceship to make repairs.

Becky just enjoyed the perfect day in the company of her best friend. They didn't do all that much talking—each too enthralled in their own activity to be very conversational—but they didn't need to say anything at all. It was a lovely, sunny, warm, and absolutely beautiful day, and just hanging out together was the perfect way to spend it.

Luckily, Becky was able to make it most of the afternoon without having to dash off as WordGirl. The sky was just starting to turn gold with the start of a sunset when her super-hearing picked up the sound of an alarm going off downtown. Becky packed up her notebook with a sigh, and explained to Violet that her mother had just sent her a text saying that she had to come home. Violet completely understood, and waved goodbye before continuing to paint a sunset "in action".

When Becky was sure her friend could no longer see her, she tapped her chest and said "Word up!" and took off toward the grocery store. As she approached the store, she saw a huge rock come crashing through the grocery store's front window…from the inside. She groaned. It must be that new "Rock Tossing Guy", or something absurd like that. This villain pulled rocks out of nowhere, and was as enthusiastic as the Whammer used to be.

Seriously, she could _not_ figure out where this guy got his ammo. The rocks and boulders didn't just appear from his fingertips, like with the Butcher's meat. It was like the Rock Tossing Guy just reached behind him and always pulled out a rock. No matter where he was. It made absolutely _no_ _sense_. WordGirl flinched as she landed in front of the store; dealing with this guy usually hurt.

"Stop right there, Rock Tossing Guy!" she announced as she burst through the doors. The villain—clad in a horrendous combination of a grey camo tee, awkwardly tan khaki pants that nearly blended in with his awkwardly tanned skin, tall black socks worn with tattered blue-grey sandals, and a purple-, blue-, and yellow-striped beanie—turned to face the heroine with a big, crooked smile on his face, and an even bigger rock in hand.

"Hey, _Word_Girl!" he shouted a greeting. "Glad you could make it! But as I keep telling you, my name aren't "Rock Tossing Guy", it's _Chunk_ of Rock Tossing Guy!"

"You're name _isn't_," WordGirl corrected through clenched teeth. This guy was really annoying. He didn't just mess up words; he messed up _grammar._

"Yeah, yeah. You're quite the stickler for grammar, _isn't_ you?"

"_Aren't!_" WordGirl exclaimed, launching a flying kick at _Chunk _of Rock Tossing Guy.

He intercepted her by, well, tossing the chunk of rock. She dodged it easily. However the next rock he tossed made her dodge directly into the path of another rock, which hit her and sent her tumbling to the ground. WordGirl leapt back into the air and shook it off, ready to fight again. He reached behind him and started tossing rocks at high speed. His arms blurred as he threw the rocks faster and faster.

WordGirl was able to evade the first bout of rocks, but she wasn't so lucky the next round. A particularly large rock flew into her stomach, knocking her backwards and keeping her down just long enough for a mountain of rocks to pile on top of her. She was pinned under a mound of stones who-knows-how-big, unable to see, free herself, or save the day.

"Yeah, you just lay down and rest for a while. Looks like I just beaten you, huh?" Chunk of Rock Tossing Guy gloated. "I are just gonna go take what I want, then, if you's too busy."

No. That was _it_. She couldn't take it. _Four_ grammatical errors in less than ten _seconds? _Not if _WordGirl_ had anything to say about it! She clenched her fists angrily. She _had_ to help the citizens still inside the store. Rock Tossing Guy caused a lot more injuries than the other villains—what with his choice of ammunition being more destructive than most—and it was WordGirl's job to get these people to safety. She couldn't let him win, she just _couldn't!_

"_NO!_" she exclaimed, bursting out of the pile of rocks in an explosion of bright, golden light. Her body seemed to be emitting a slight radiance, and her balled fists were engulfed in the same gleaming golden light. Her eyes flashed—bystanders saw that they flashed a glowing gold color—and she aimed her hands at the villain.

She punched her fist forward toward him, and the ball of golden light gathered around her fist exploded forward in a streak. It hit the Rock Tossing Guy in an instant, sending him flying backward, where he crashed against a wall and slid down it into a sitting position. After a moment in a daze, he made a move to get back up, so WordGirl threw another powerful blast of golden light at him. The hit knocked him unconscious, but didn't seem to harm him other than that.

For a moment, she didn't know what to do. The villain was out, and it had all ended in a matter of seconds. WordGirl held out her hands, which tingled almost pleasantly, and just stared at them in disbelief.

"Whoa."

* * *

**So! There you go! Nice and long, so I hope you enjoyed it!**

**I just gotta say…the Chunk of Rock Tossing Guy was a riot to describe/come up with. I tried to draw him in his outfit, but I failed miserably… Sadly, I cannot draw people :'( So you're all left to depend on your imaginations.**

**And now you've seen some 'side effects'! So what did you think? Was it what you were expecting? And what do you think will happen next? Let me know! **

**Your Pal,**

**SuperOreoMan**


	4. Chapter 4

Well. That had undoubtedly been the absolute _strangest_ encounter with WordGirl _ever_.

Tobey stared out his window, studying his latest project—which he had dubbed the Bio-Dome. He had revealed far too much to WordGirl about his intentions behind it, but she seemed to have that affect on him at times. Just when he thought he was finally over the heroine, his infatuation seemed to resurface yet again. Even after all this time. Oh, he was _hopeless._

But what on Earth had _happened_ yesterday? Tobey had _never_ seen WordGirl like that—so weak, feeble…helpless. What had caused it? It certainly couldn't have had to do with anything _Tobey_ had done. He had _found_ her in that condition, after all, just after she had deflected that huge meteorite headed for the park.

So…could it have something to do with _that?_ Was the force of the meteorite too great for even the mighty WordGirl to handle? Or had something else been the cause of her downfall? Maybe he should go back to the park and examine the crash site.

Tobey stood up, deciding on his course of action. He decided to just walk to the park, and enjoy the nice afternoon while he could. He had nothing better to do today anyway, until he began his shift at the ice cream parlor this afternoon. Saturday evenings were usually pretty busy, so he might as well do something constructive before heading off to defend the parlor from sticky hands, dripping cones, and whining children.

On his way through the park, Tobey noticed Becky sitting with Violet, who was situated behind an easel with a brush and palette in hand. He was about to go over to just say hello on his way, but he hesitated when he saw that Becky seemed preoccupied as well. She was leaning against a tree and scribbling in a notepad, looking up every so often as though seeking inspiration before turning back to the pages and continuing to write.

Tobey decided not to interrupt them, and continued toward the place he had come across WordGirl the day before. As he approached the meteorite's collision course, he was amazed that WordGirl had been able to just fly off only fifteen minutes after enduring such destruction. The only thing left of the trees that had been in the meteorite's path were splintered stumps, and felled branches littered the ground so thickly that Tobey could hardly find space to walk without having to clamber over the severed limbs.

The meteorite itself had been all but destroyed. It was now only rubble. Fragments of rust-red rock and the occasional glittering yellow stone were covering the ground, as well as embedded in the small crater the meteorite had left behind. The biggest pieces left of the broken meteorite were only about the size of his fist, and a bit of the red stone had even been reduced to scarlet powder.

Tobey bent over to take a closer look. He carefully picked up a red rock about the size of his thumb and examined it curiously. What _was_ this stuff? He was almost certain he'd never seen it before. It had a rough, granular texture, and was quite weighty for its size. Tobey winced, trying not to imagine how painful it must have been when WordGirl had struck the meteorite, and tumbled into the heap of its broken pieces.

Standing up straight again, Tobey pocketed the crimson stone. He still didn't know what had happened here, and now understood roughly the same amount he had yesterday—nothing. After Tobey had shoved the stone into his pocket, he remembered that his shift started in approximately half an hour. _Oh, bother. _He was _not_ looking forward to dealing with whiny, slobbering, incompetent _children_ yet again. It was after a shift at the ice cream parlor that Tobey was most grateful that he was an only child.

He had never really realized how much he loathed working there. But he couldn't just quit—a job is a job, after all, and he needed the extra income. Even if it drove him mad…

* * *

**«The next day, at the Botsford residence…»**

Becky looked up, half irritated and half curious. When the Narrator said things like "meanwhile, at…" or "later on, at…", it made her wonder where—or _when_—he'd been before. She almostwanted to ask—_almost_—but she didn't want to encourage him. It didn't matter anyway, since she was in the middle of telling Bob what had happened the previous afternoon.

"No, I don't _know_ how I did it!" Becky continued her story, "I was just really mad, and I knew that I needed to protect those people, and then—BAM!—I shot him with these weird, golden, light-ball…things! Yeah, from my hands!"

An awed squeak was Becky's only reply. Her monkey sidekick was staring at her with his hands on his cheeks and his mouth hanging open in wonder.

"Yeah, it's _cool_, but what does it _mean?_" she replied anxiously, staring at her hands uneasily. "How did it happen? _Why _did it happen?"

Bob chattered at her while examining her hands. Becky blushed faintly at his words before answering him.

"Friday? Well, I mean, nothing _really_ important happened on Friday. Mrs. Groves assigned us a new project, and Violet told me about her latest art project, and— Oh, you mean as WordGirl? Well how would I know what you meant, Bob? I lead a double life you know."

Bob looked at her suspiciously, moaning a complaint and crossing his arms.

"Okay, fine. Friday…just a regular old day, being regular old WordGirl…heh heh…"

He moaned again irritatedly.

"Oh, well, see, I was _tired_ because I ran into a meteorite made of lexonite, and, well, you probably don't want to hear the whole, vapid story, but—"

Bob let out an annoyed series of squeaks.

"Sorry, Bob, but I'm WordGirl—it's kind of my job to use complicated words. Vapid means boring, lifeless, or tiresome; like how the whole story about what happened on Friday is totallyboring and tiresome—it's _vapid_. Really, really vapid."

He waved his arms in protest and let out an unhappy screech.

Becky bit her lip when Bob reminded her that she already _had _told him about the lexonite meteorite, and that he had realized that she was keeping something from him, what with her guarded, nervous demeanor.

"We-hell, yeah, and that _was _the whole story. No, I'm not leaving anything out." _At least, not anything important,_ she added mentally.

The monkey chirped. Ugh, _why_ did Bob have to keep asking questions? Becky _really_ didn't want to talk about the whole, weird thing with Tobey right now, and she was sure that it had nothing to do with her new ability anyway! It was so easy for her to lie to everyone else—why did Bob have to be the one exception?

"Bob, can we just drop it?" Becky asked finally. "I just want to know what's happening to me."

She dropped her head into her hands and leaned her elbows against her knees. Her friend's face softened, and he patted her back comfortingly as they sat on her bed in silence. After a few moments he piped up again with an inquisitive squeak.

"Yeah, I tried doing it again after the police came for the Rock Tossing Guy. I went into the forest and punched a few trees with the glowing light stuff, but it wasn't as strong as it was when I was fighting him."

Bob examined her hand and squeaked again.

Becky shook her head. "I _can't _get it to work again. I was messing around with it last night, trying to figure out what the heck it is and how to control it, but today I haven't had any luck. Maybe it just wore off or something."

Becky flexed her hands silently. She had wondered about what it could possibly be—a new power… a crazy, inexplicable fluke… some kind of Lexiconian puberty… an ability she'd always had but didn't know about… a temporary result of her exposure to lexonite… perhaps even something to do with her last fight with the Energy Monster? The color was right, but it hadn't felt like the same kind of energy given off by the Energy Monster.

"Could it be like…alien puberty?" Becky suggested, self-conscious.

Bob shrugged and squealed.

"Oh, that's right," Becky replied disappointedly. "No one on Lexicon had any super powers because of the lexonite."

"Becky!" her mom called from downstairs.

"Yes, Mom?"

"We were about to start our Sunday Lunch-and-a-film-athon!" Mrs. Botsford sang. "We're having peanut butter and whatever-you-like sandwiches!"

"That means peanut butter and bananas for you," Becky teased Bob, who was already at the door. She raised her voice to answer her mom. "Okay! We'll be down in a sec!"

Bob squealed as Becky caught up with him in a flash and the two started downstairs.

"I don't know what movie they'll choose this time, Bob. I just hope it's not _Avengers_ again."

* * *

It was so _awkward_ sitting next to Tobey on Monday. Becky had to hide her discomfort as Mrs. Groves went over the latest chapters, though it wasn't easy. Luckily for her, Tobey seemed to be distracted, so he wasn't really talking or paying much attention to her.

"Okay, class, we'll be starting to work on the Bio-Bottle project on Wednesday," Mrs. Groves announced near the end of the hour. "So you should discuss with your partner how you're going to do it today and tomorrow."

"So, Tobey, do you have any ideas for our project?" Becky prodded, trying to draw her partner from his thoughts.

"What? Oh…yes. I have a _little_ something," he replied, smirking slightly at his own joke.

"Okay," she played along. "So…what is it?"

"Oh, um… remind me to show you after school," Tobey answered nervously. "Meet me at the park?"

"Sure!" Becky agreed with a smile.

The bell rang, and she headed off to History, waving good-bye to Tobey.

After school, Becky waited for Violet at the school's entrance as usual. When her friend came out, Becky explained that she was going to the park to work on a project with Tobey. Violet smiled sweetly, as though she knew something that Becky didn't, said that she _completely _understood, and told her to have fun, before heading home with a wave.

Becky headed straight for the park to meet Tobey. She didn't know why, but for some reason she felt kind of…_nervous_.

"We're just working on a project," she tried to soothe herself. "He doesn't know that I'm WordGirl, and that I already know what he's going to show me. I can act surprised, I do it all the time."

**«Nervous? »**

"Oh, come on," Becky complained.

**«What? There's no one here! »**

"That doesn't mean I want you _bugging _me! What if someone hears me talking to you?"

**«You were just talking to yourself… »**

"We-hell, uh, I…" Becky sputtered. "Just… Don't you have anything _better_ to do?"

**«No. Narration is pretty much my sole purpose. »**

"Can't you narrate elsewhere?"

**«I suppose. Meanwhile, the grocer is selling groceries at the grocery store… »**

As the Narrator's voice faded away, Becky entered the park. She immediately spotted Tobey, and hurried over to meet him. She didn't see the big dome thing, but figured either he would take her to it or it would come to them.

"Okay Tobey, so what did you want to show me?" Becky asked after they had exchanged greetings.

"I guess it's kind of a surprise."

Tobey pulled out a remote and entered a few commands, then waited. The ground thudded as the huge, robotic dome emerged from the cover of trees, and settled right in front of them.

"Oh, wow, Tobey—it's amazing!" Becky exclaimed in awe, not having to feign her surprise.

"Thank you," he replied, seeming pleased at her reaction. "I call it the Bio-Dome."

Tobey's Bio-Dome was different from when she had seen it as WordGirl. Now the island within the dome sported a small grove of trees, colorful wildflowers dotting a grassy terrain, and several berry bushes of different denominations placed amongst it all. Movement drew Becky's attention to a little flock of birds dancing through the trees. Upon further inspection, she also saw bees buzzing from flower to flower, a butterfly flitting lazily around a bush, a squirrel darting over tree roots in search of nuts, and a variety of fish swimming in the—wait…

"Oh dear… All the fish are dead!" Tobey cried dejectedly.

Becky stepped closer to the dome to observe the very still water. It was water from the river, as were the fish, and it looked very clean—as far as rivers go.

"I don't understand!" Tobey announced as he fiddled with the remote for the Bio-Dome, appearing to be checking some readings. "I installed a refrigeration device to stabilize the temperatures and counteract the greenhouse effect, I supplied the fish with their naturally occurring dietetic needs, I've been monitoring aquatic pH levels and particle concentrations—"

"You didn't put any plants in the water," Becky pointed out softly.

Tobey paused. That had never occurred to him. She beckoned for him to come stand next to her.

"Plants supply us with the oxygen we need to breathe," Becky began.

"Well of course," Tobey replied with a nod. "I know that."

"Well, it works the same way underwater," she continued. "Aquatic plants oxygenate the water the same way terrestrial plants oxygenate the air, and the fish need that to survive. Without it—"

"They die," Tobey groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Oh, robots are so much simpler…"

Becky snorted. "Maybe for _you_."

"Oh, _especially_ for me, I assure you," he agreed, flashing a grin.

"I can see that," she replied as she gestured to the huge robotic dome.

"Yes, well, aside from the fish, the Bio-Dome has been completely self-sustainable since Friday afternoon," Tobey boasted. That comment made Becky recall that he had the contraption completed last Friday after school…not very long after AP Biology had ended.

"Wait…Friday… How on earth did you build this in one afternoon?" she asked, stunned.

"Machine shop," Tobey stated simply, shrugging.

Her jaw dropped. "You've got to be…are you…_seriously?_ _One_ hour?"

"Of course," he replied, straight-faced and completely serious. He wasn't even being bigheaded about it—he just seemed to be puzzled at Becky's speechless astonishment. "Um, Becky, are you alright?"

"Uh…yeah. Just _really_ impressed!" she admitted, snapping out of her stupor. "This is amazing!"

"Well, I just wanted our project to be extraordinary," he affirmed, shrugging modestly.

"Then let's _make_ it extraordinary!" Becky declared, rolling up her sleeves and dragging a surprised Tobey toward the river, Bio-Dome in tow.

* * *

**I am merely content with this chapter, not happy :/ It's mostly the middle section. Darn that middle section! (Except the **_**Avengers **_**part—I couldn't resist!)**

***As you may have noticed, in the first chapter I said that Biology was Becky's last class of the day. Well, now I'm changing it to **_**second **_**to last, to save the story's continuity, since with the way I **_**had**_** it, Tobey would have created the Bio-Dome in like ten minutes, which is illogical… If anyone's confused about the timeline, just let me know. I realize this chapter is kind of funky time-wise. **

**So I just went on a trek across America with my family! It was only two and a half weeks, but then I've been **_**exhausted**_** the last few days since we got home, and… That's why it took me so long to update. We drove through 12 states to visit my sister and her new baby. SHE'S SO FLIPPIN' ADORABLE! My niece, not my sister. I loooove her! **

**ANYWAY, loooong author's note… Reviews are **_**really**_** appreciated! Let me know what you think!**

**Your Pal,**

**SuperOreoMan**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! I've gotta say, the WordGirl fandom is one of the nicest to write for response-wise! So thanks a ton—your reviews keep me inspired to write the next chapter! Here's number 5!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Becky was on her way to school, lost in thought as she stepped briskly along the sidewalk. She breathed in the cool, crisp air and enjoyed the walk to school as the sky lightened with the rising of the sun. Birds chirped and fluttered overhead, and the chill in the air was dissipating as the tranquility of the night was broken.

**«It's the beginning of another day in Fair City! And after spending some **_**quality**_** time with Tobey yesterday afternoon, Becky Botsford—or, as some of us know her, **_**WordGirl**_**—is in a lovely mood this morning! »**

Becky paused. She brushed her hair back and looked down, trying to cover the blush that was reddening her face.

"Well, I mean, it wasn't really _quality _time, you know, and, I'm not really in a super _lovely_ mood… More like…umm…_cheery_. And it's not just because I hung ou—uh, because I worked on my project with _Tobey _yesterday."

**«I don't know… You two seemed to be having a pretty good time yesterday…»**

"Nah, I don't know, really more of just an _average _time…"

**«You keep telling yourself that. »**

"So… Are you going to be doing a lot of…that…today?"

**«What? **_**Narrating?**_** »**

"Well…yeah."

**«Hmm… Let me see…»**

Becky heard the sound of pages flipping as she waited for the Narrator's response.

**«Well… I guess I don't **_**need **_**to…not many lines in the script… But I do like to improv, so no guarantees! »**

"Hey, Tobey!" she said as she sat down in AP Biology.

"Hello, Becky_,_" was his curt response. After their camaraderie the day before, she was very surprised at his cold demeanor today.

"So, um, how's the Bio-Dome?"

"Terrific."

"Okay…" Becky trailed off uncomfortably. Should she just stop trying? "Well, weren't we going to check with Mrs. Groves to make sure the whole 'giant robot' thing is okay?"

"I already did. She said it was fine."

"Oh. That's…good," she replied, giving up. What was with him today?

Suddenly Becky felt very tired. She didn't know if it was Tobey's rotten attitude or just because she'd stayed up a little later than usual last night, but she really felt like a nap would be nice.

After that, Tobey kept quiet. He was taking notes on Mrs. Groves' powerpoint of different symbiotic relationships, but Becky didn't think he was really paying attention. He reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and started fiddling with it under the table. She saw that it was something small and red, but then it was out of sight and under the table.

As she returned her gaze to the front of the class, Becky suddenly felt ill. Covering commensalism and mutualism had been fine, but now Mrs. Groves had reached the slides about parasitism, and Becky's head felt dizzy. She suddenly felt weak and lightheaded as she viewed the images of different varieties of parasitic worms, and she really thought he was going to pass out when Mrs. Groves explained the horrendous life cycles of the wasps that laid eggs inside caterpillars that the hatched larvae later ate from the inside out. Becky was clammy, trembling, and weak, and she was fighting not to fall unconscious.

"Becky?" Mrs. Groves' faint voice asked. "Becky, are you okay?"

"No…" Becky answered weakly, her vision swimming and her head throbbing. "Can I just go sit in the hall for a minute, please?"

"Of course," the teacher replied, her eyes showing concern. "And maybe you should go to the office, too, dear."

"Okay…I'll just…okay…"

Becky stumbled out into the hallway. She leaned against the wall and sank slowly to a sitting position, pressing her cheek to it. The cool surface of the wall seemed to steady her stomach, and after a few moments of sitting motionlessly Becky had stopped shaking. She stayed like that for a few more minutes, until she felt like she could get to her feet without falling over.

Becky was not easy to gross out, and she almost _never_ had a problem in Biology—even during the dissection unit. So why the heck was she randomly getting sick over a few freaky cannibalistic bugs? She'd seen far worse—like a sick monkey—and handled it far better!

The door to the classroom opened as someone left, stopping in front of Becky.

"Mrs. Groves sent me out to check on you," Tobey sighed, sounding very inconvenienced. Becky tried to smile, but she started feeling dizzy again as her head started pounding all over again.

"I'll be fine, just not feeling especkaldy well…"

"_Especkaldy?_" He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Becky."

_Wait—what did I just say? _Becky wondered as Tobey retreated back into the classroom. Her speculation dissolved however, as her headache alleviated slightly and she sighed contentedly.

Becky stayed outside the classroom for the rest of the hour. She tried going back in once when she had started feeling better, but she'd had to leave again almost immediately after sitting down. It was all really embarrassing, so she chose to remain outside until the bell rang. When she went back in to retrieve her bag, Mrs. Groves walked over to make sure she was okay.

"Becky! Is everything okay?" the teacher demanded. "You look better now, at least."

"Yes, Mrs. Groves," Becky replied, still recovering from her earlier experience. "I think it was just a migraine or something—but I'm feeling better now, thanks."

"Okay, just make sure to take it easy for the rest of the day. See you tomorrow!"

"I will!" Becky answered as she left the classroom. "'Bye!"

She felt fine for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Hiiii Beckyyyy!" Violet greeted her friend extravagantly, twirling over to where they usually met after school.

"Uh, hi Violet," Becky replied, eying her warily.

"How has _your_ day been?" Violet went on dreamily. "Mine has been spec_tac_ulaaaaarrrrr…!"

"Oh, okay… Mine was good, I guess."

"So, how's your project with _Tobey_ going, friend?"

"It's fine… Um, Violet, do you feel okay?"

"Oh Becky, I've never felt better! Life is just so wonderful, isn't it? No, _magical!_ Or fantastic! Wait, no—wondertastical! Or, or what about _whimsi_tastical? Or whimstastiwonderfulicularvelous!"

"_What?_"

"Oh Becky, _silly,_ it's wonderful, whimsical, fantastic, magical, spectacular, and marvelous all combiiiiined!"

Becky stared at her dubiously. Violet wasn't acting right. In fact, she wasn't the only one behaving oddly—it was like Tobey was extra grouchy today, and Violet was extra…Violety. _Too_ Violety.

"Say, uh…_friend_—um, how've you been?" Becky inquired, trying to figure out what could be causing Violet to act this way. "Are you doing anything today that would make you—I don't know—extra _happy_, or anything?"

"Oh, Becky, _everything_ makes me happy!" Violet sang.

"Anything special going on?"

"No, just a regular, _wonderful_ ol' day!"

As they walked, Violet chattered about…well, Becky wasn't really sure. Violet almost _never_ talked this much—the only times she even came close was when it was art related, and Becky wasn't sure Violet's current prattling was _anything_ related. Just a bunch of nonsense about how nice everybody and everything was, and how great life was, and yada yada… When Violet and she had to go separate ways, Becky almost sighed in relief. That talk was so weird…

Becky had just reached her house when her super-hearing caught the sound of an alarm going off. Darting inside, she shed her backpack and went to grab Bob. Luckily he had just been reading the newspaper—a banana in hand and bifocals on his face—when Becky snatched him up. He screeched in surprise as they burst into their alter egos and zoomed out the door, the glasses still hanging off his face.

* * *

Becky could usually tell what building was being robbed from the sound of the alarm, but this unfamiliar ring left her clueless. It must have been a store that hadn't been held up before—and that meant the villains were expanding their horizons. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

When she finally reached the building with its alarm going off, WordGirl was surprised to find that it was a plant nursery called _Delia's Dahlias_. As she swooped inside, she disarmed the alarm before facing the intruder with Captain Huggyface. His spiky white hair and extra brain gave him away as Doctor Two-Brains, but this time, he was alone.

Unbeknownst to WordGirl—or any of them, really—his old henchman Charlie was a phenomenal chef. He'd gotten a great job offer in New York, and, since the two were such good buddies, the other henchman had moved there with him. So Doctor Two-Brains had had to hire new henchmen. Their names were Cole and Roger, a couple of goons that didn't speak much and were tougher to beat, but that seemed to go on vacation far more often.

"Stop right there, Two-Brains!" WordGirl announced, dropping to the floor behind him. He stifled a squeak of surprise as he whipped around to face her, his mouse brain making him jumpy.

"Why hello, WordGirl!" the Doctor greeted her with a devious grin after he had collected himself. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You tripped the alarm. What're you up to?"

"Oh, you know, this and that…"

"Cut to the chase—what are you doing at a plant nursery? Trying to engineer another cheese-tree?"

"Oh, no," Two-Brains assured her, waving his hand dismissively. "This heist has _nothing_ to do with cheese."

WordGirl blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Well yes. You see, recently I decided to relocate to a, uh, less _conventional_ lair. But, my new neighbor has seven cats. _Seven!_ Can you _believe_ it? And they just keep _terrorizing_ me!So, I have taken it upon myself to rid the entire city of the horrible beasts!" He finished off his explanation by cackling maniacally.

**«You're going to get rid of **_**all**_** the cats in Fair City? »**

"Yes. Yes I am."

**«That seems a bit extreme. »**

"Have you _seen _cats around me? It's like I'm their catnip… It's _horrible_…"

**«Will Doctor Two-Brains successfully rid the city of its cats? Will WordGirl be able to defeat him in time to save all the fluffy kitties? How does he plan to eliminate the cats, anyway? Find out next on… **_**WordGirl!**_** »**

"Doesn't it _bother_ you when he _does_ that?" WordGirl demanded, gesturing upward with her arms incredulously.

"Does what?" Doctor Two-Brains replied quizzically.

"Just…pops in, and interjects and _narrates_ randomly?"

"Well, that _is_ his job."

"Yeah, but… Doesn't it ever _bother_ you?"

"Why would it bother me?"

"Well, because," she sputtered. "Oh, never mind! So why are you here, Two-Brains? From what you've told me about your plan, it doesn't really make sense to come _here_."

"That's where you're wrong, WordGirl. To complete my diabolical plan, I will need three crates full of catnip!"

"Catnip?"

"Yes, catnip! I've already stripped all the catnip plants in the city, and hit up the local pet store for all they've got, but I still need a bit more."

"And this nursery sells catnip?" WordGirl guessed.

"Precisely!" Two-Brains stated giddily. "And now I'll have enough to finally rid this city of its pesky felines!"

"Well, I happen to _like_ cats!" WordGirl began vehemently. "Maybe not a lot, but more than just a bit! And plus, Vi—I mean, a random citizen I happen to know has a kitten that she cares about dearly, so I can't allow you to get rid of all the cats!"

"It's too late! I already _have _all the catnip I need to lure the cats out of the city forever! Now…taste catnip, WordGirl!"

He pulled out a handheld ray gun that was loaded with a chamber full of little green leaves that WordGirl assumed was catnip. After turning a small dial on the side of the ray, Doctor Two-Brains aimed the ray at her and pulled the trigger before she could react. It shot out a green mist that enveloped the heroine and her sidekick, making them cough and gag.

"Ugh!" WordGirl exclaimed, plugging her nose. Captain Huggyface clutched his throat and fell over with a squeal. "This smells _horrible!_ What the—? Is this _catnip?_ How do cats _like _this stuff? Gross… ugh, it's in my nose…blegh…"

She and Huggy coughed for a few more moments, while Two-Brains stood before them, grinning evilly.  
"_Now_ you'll see…" he said quietly. "Then you'll understand my suffering!"

"Wait…" WordGirl began. "What's it supposed to do? Other than smell really bad."

"Just give it a minute; it takes a second to kick in. Hey, monkey—are those _bifocals?_"

Huggy's eyes crossed as he glanced at his nose, and he grinned sheepishly, nodding.

"Wow, they make you look like ten years older," Two-Brains commented. "Remind me never to wear them…"

Huggy hummed in irritation. He yanked off the glasses, snapped the sides closed, and stuffed them into the chest pocket of his suit. Then he leapt at the villain, taking him by surprise.

"Good job, Huggy!" WordGirl praised as her sidekick tackled Two-Brains.

"_Mew"_ came an adorable little cry from behind her.

WordGirl spun around, expecting to find one sweet, little kitty. Instead, she turned to find a huge mob of catnip-crazed cats hurtling toward her in waves, claws outstretched and pupils dilated.

Before she knew it, she was submerged in a sea of cats. They were scratching, gnawing, biting, climbing, and rolling all over her. Some were playing with her hair or cape, or attacking any time she moved. She couldn't fling them off, because more would just crowd in, and she didn't want to hurt them, either. WordGirl focused, trying to call her new powers to help save them, since her strength wasn't working. The golden power started to gather at her hands as she concentrated through the scratching and biting, the yellow light shining through the thick layer of felines surrounding her.

Suddenly a paw scratching at her neck tore through the necklace Violet had made for her. In a matter of seconds, the necklace was lost amongst the sea of cats. The light from her fingers died as WordGirl tried to snatch it back, but it was already long gone. Focusing again, she tried once more to use her new powers. Only, this time, nothing happened.

_What?_ It had _just_ been working! What was wrong? She tried again, more frantically this time, and with the same result—nothing.

_Why won't it work? Why won't it work!_ WordGirl thought desperately, still scrambling underneath the cats, trying to ignore the pain they were causing her. She'd been using it, and then that cat had distracted her by scratching off her necklace. Wait… that had been given to her by Violet…the very same day that she'd gotten the new powers!

"The necklace!" WordGirl gasped, clutching at her bare neck.

Before she could do anything more, she was engulfed in a sea of inebriated cats.

* * *

**Ha, **_**cats**_**. Man, I gotta say, having a ton of catnip high cats sounds a **_**little **_**bit awesome. As long as they aren't really chewing on you… **

**And I now realize that last chapter was kind of like a science lesson at the end…and I did it a tiny bit in this chapter, too… Yes, I am a Bio major, and I guess it just kind of came out in the story. And, I kind of thought Tobey would have a tougher time with Biology because it seems like it would contrast with robotics (although I've thought he'd probably be good at DNA transcription and all that molecular bio type stuff—I'm not :P—since at that level it's more 'mechanized', if you know what I mean). And now I'll shut up about Biology.**

**ANYWAY, thank you all for your wonderfully inspiring reviews! I really appreciate them all, especially the long ones (you know who you are ;) so thanks a ton! ****Please let me know how you think I'm doing, and what you think of the story so far/what you think will happen next, what you think certain things mean, all that jazz! Until next time!**

**Your Pal,**

**SuperOreoMan**


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy birthday! To me. Yesterday. No wait, now it's two days ago… Oh well…**

**Sorry for the delay, but hopefully this chapter will make up for it! My excuse is one word: **_**College**_**. I had to move in and start learning and totally rearrange my schedule and all that stuff. Oh yeah, and… I guess I'm not a Bio major anymore :P Still love it, but I switched. **

**Man, this chapter did **_**not **_**want to be written! I mean, really! It gave me trouble **_**before**_** college crap, and now it's giving me trouble after!**

**And now, without further ado, the chapter you've all been waiting for…**_**WordGirl **_**vs.**_** Cats!**_

* * *

_It's the necklace! It's been the necklace all along!_

The realization struck her harder than one of The Whammer's attacks. The necklace Violet gave her… She had forgotten she was even wearing it, and all this time, that had been the source of her powers! But…_how?_

An orange tabby kitten started chewing on her nose, slinging her back to the present with a yelp. Becoming aware of her surroundings again, WordGirl had to bite back a combination of amusement and panic. This was absurd. This whole thing: _Absurd! _She—a powerful superhero who had yet to be defeated—was being overpowered by _cats_. Albeit, a very large number of cats, but that made the situation no less ridiculous. Maybe even _more_ ridiculous.

Gathering all the strength she could muster, WordGirl forced her way up and out of the sea of cats, a burst of light accompanying her powerful exit and tossing cats in all directions. The terrified felines still clinging to her were shaken off gently. After she had rescued Captain Huggy Face, she hovered above the cats, who were still attempting to latch onto her boots. They could leap surprisingly high—she had to rise a few feet to avoid their outstretched claws.

Looking up, she saw Doctor Two-Brains dangling on a lamp suspended from the ceiling. It was over a table crawling with cats, and the remains of rows of potted plants that had rested there before, now eviscerated, shattered, and overturned in the disarray. He was hanging on for dear life, kicking his feet to throw off the cats climbing up his pants.

"_I really didn't think this through!_" he wailed from above. "Oh-ho-ho, WordGirl, _save me!_"

The heroine rolled her eyes, but zipped up to free him from the cats…only to imprison him in a thick knot of lamps once they were safely on the ground. Snatching the Catnip Ray from Two-Brains' tied arms, WordGirl gathered up the cats into a bunch by flying around them in a burst of super speed. She then flew out the door, with a Pied Piper-esque procession of scrambling felines behind her as she led the clowder to the park, and smashed the ray against a rather unfortunate tree—now teeming with high cats—and zoomed back to the plant nursery.

"Now, _what_ exactly was your plan?" she inquired dryly, crossing her arms as she floated closer to the thwarted villain.

"Um…use the Catnip Ray to lure all the cats out of the city, then activate my Anti-Feline Force Field to keep them from slinking back in…?" he admitted sheepishly.

"An Anti-Feline…? You know what, never mind."

"Yeah…I guess it wasn't really the best plan…"

"No, not really," WordGirl agreed, gazing around the devastated building.

The nursery was a mess. There was shredded plant matter and dirt everywhere, broken pots lying in shards, and scratched…well, _everything_. WordGirl zipped around and did the best she could to straighten up the place before she left, but she was pretty worn-out. As she swept up the spilled soil in a flurry of wind, she unearthed Violet's necklace.

Gingerly picking it up, she was about to put it back on, but Huggy stopped her with a wary squeak.

"I guess you're right," WordGirl sighed, tucking it away into her pocket. "Maybe I shouldn't wear it until we know what it is, and how it works."

Satisfied with her work, she turned back to Doctor Two-Brains. He was trying to wiggle is way out of his ties, but immediately stopped, an innocent look on his face, when he saw her looking at him.

"Well, good luck at your new place," she started as she began flying off. _After you get out of jail,_ she added mentally. "But maybe you should just get a dog to keep the cats away."

"A—a _dog?_" she heard him mutter before she had flown out of earshot. "The cat's natural enemy…. Hmm…not a bad idea…"

* * *

Slipping back into being ordinary, un-super, teenage Becky Botsford, she finally allowed the exhaustion to set in. It wasn't all from the battle—although that made her awfully sore, too. She just felt weaker, after becoming accustomed to her new strength and powers from the necklace, and now being without them after a battle. Like super power withdrawal.

Bob squeaked questioningly as Becky dragged her feet down the sidewalk—she wasn't heading home.

"I'm going to Violet's house," she explained. "I need to know where she got this crystal."

Bob tilted his head, letting out a short string of squeaks.

"I'm fine, Bob, just tired. I'm not sure I should fly now. Besides, it's not that far."

In a few short minutes, they were at Violet's front door. Becky lifted her hand and rapped on the door tiredly. She heard Violet's light, springy footsteps approaching, and dug the necklace out of her pocket.

"Violet, where did you get this from?" Becky demanded the moment the door swung open.

"Oh, _hi_, Becky—" Violet greeted her merrily before seeming to realize the state she was in. "Oh…Becky! What happened? You have little cuts all over you…like Priscilla used you as a scratching post. Oh goodness…she didn't did she?"

"No, I'm fine, really, but—"

"Oh, that's a relief!" the blonde sighed, looking relieved. "Because you never know with cats. They aren't like dogs, who will listen to whatever you tell them to do—no, cats are more independent, that is to say, that they do _not_ do what you tell them to, and in fact, sometimes they do the exact opposite of what you've told them to do, like they're—"

"Violet!" Becky exclaimed impatiently. Her friend's eyes widened, and she took a steadying breath before continuing. "Violet—where'd you say you found these?" Becky repeated, pointing at the golden stone on her necklace.

"In the park!" Violet sang blissfully, seeming to forget Becky's little outburst.

"Yes, but _where _in the park?"

"Oh, I was hiking…they were in a pile of beautiful stones… yellows and reds, so bright and vibrant…you know, they should really clean up that area, there were a lot of downed branches to maneuver around, and…"

_So this crystal came down in that meteorite? _With _the lexonite? _Becky wondered as her friend went on. So… did it come from Lexicon? And how was it giving her powers?

"…and I thought they turned out lovely, don't you?"

"Um, yeah," Becky replied. "Uh, thanks, Violet. For everything. I'll…see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!" Violet crooned, waving at her departing friend. "Goodbye, Becky!"

Becky flew home, stumbling into a walk after landing in her front yard. It was probably five-thirty or six o'clock by now, so her family wouldn't be worrying about her absence yet—probably assuming she was at Violet's, or the library. Bob hopped out of her arms as they approached the front door, and held it open for his weary companion. When they walked in, Mrs. Botsford turned to cheerfully greet her daughter, but instead gasped at the sight of her.

"Oh, dear!"

"Becky, what happened to you?" Mr. Botsford exclaimed as he noticed Becky's disheveled state.

She looked down, having forgotten how terrible she looked. Her arms and legs had scratches all over them, with a few shallow ones on her face as well, and her skin was a blotchy red where cats had chewed on her. There was potting soil smudged across her skin in a few places, and her hair was still a bit tousled from the fight. She noticed for the first time that a few loose strings swung from her clothes, unraveled by the prickly claws that had snagged the fabric through her WordGirl suit.

"I…fell into a cactus…at the…cactus store…" Becky replied lamely, too tired to think of anything better to say. Mr. Botsford put his hands on his waist and looked at her sternly.

"Young lady, _what _have I told you about going to the cactus store?" he demanded.

"Uh…?"

"_Don't_ fall _in_to the _cactuses!_" her father continued, gesturing with his hands for emphasis.

"Oh," Becky replied, "right…"

"Just…" He sighed. "Be more _careful_ at the cactus store from now on, okay?"

"Okay, Dad."

"So what were you doing at the _cactus_ store, Becky?" TJ asked slyly as he set the table for dinner.

"Oh, just…you know—"

"TJ, leave your sister alone," Mrs. Botsford scolded, "and let her go wash up for dinner."

"Oh, um, I'm not really hungry." That was a lie. She was actually famished, but her fatigue outweighed her hunger at the moment, and all she really wanted to do was lie down. "I'm just going to go work on my homework."

"Okay, hon," her mother replied, smiling gently. "Just, maybe put something on those cuts, and get cleaned up, okay?"

"I will," Becky assured her.

She hauled herself up the stairs, and fell face first into her bed when she reached her room. Bob chirped, reminding Becky of the state she was in. She groaned into her pillow, but eventually gave in, dragging herself out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

Becky decided to take a nice, hot shower. Letting the warm water roll over her aching body seemed to rejuvenate her a bit, and helped her muscles relax. She took care to clean off the dirt and check her scratches, which had already started to heal. While it was difficult for something to actually penetrate Becky's skin, when it did she only healed a little faster than normal humans. Her limited invulnerability had caused many of the cats' claws to simply glance across her skin without leaving a mark, but some of the more avid felines had been able to sink their teeth and claws into her, even with her powers.

After a shower that was probably longer than it should have been, Becky changed into her pajamas and fell onto her bed again. Her wet hair radiated out from her head like a dark, messy halo, and the scratches stung after she had scrubbed them clean. Becky started when she felt something brush her leg—Bob was applying antibiotic ointment to some of the worst cuts, and topping it off with one of TJ's old WordGirl band-aids.

"Thanks, Bob, but I can do it—"

A stern squeak cut her off, insisting that he wanted to help. He handed her a few band-aids for her arms and face, but finished off the wounds he'd been working on. Becky shook her head—sometimes Bob fussed over her so much that it was like having a third parent. But often she was grateful, since sometimes there were things she couldn't talk to her parents about—specifically, _WordGirl_ things—but that Bob was there to help her with.

After Becky and Bob were both satisfied that her cuts were taken care of, Becky walked over to her discarded jeans and dug the necklace out of the pocket.

"So now…there's this."

Bob tapped his chin thoughtfully and offered an idea in a series of squeaks.

"The spaceship's computer?" Becky repeated. "You think it can tell us what this is?"

Bob shrugged, then nodded.

"Okay, then let's go."

* * *

Becky flew them to the Super Secret Spaceship Hideout—or "SSSH!", as they jokingly called it—and zipped into the main room, where the supercomputer was. She was still in her pajamas, choosing not to change into her super suit for this, when she approached the computer. Typing in a few commands, she selected the 3D Scanner and pressed _Launch_.

A round device that resembled two high-tech frisbees stacked together slid out from a slot on the side of the keyboard. A metal, jointed arm held it in place and kept it connected to the computer. The gadget lit up along a series of geometric slits as it came to life, and the frisbee-shaped halves separated when it opened, the top part hovering about a foot above the base. A soft, cylindrical, holographic glow connected the top and bottom halves.

"Okay. Let's run it through the ship's computer and see what it says."

Becky dropped the shimmering stone into the futuristic scanner, where it bobbed a few times before settling into place, where it slowly revolved as it remained suspended in the light. Becky pressed Enter. Bob stared at it expectantly.

They waited as the monitor read _SEARCHING…_. After a few seconds the screen announced _SCAN COMPLETE_, and the monitor filled with information about the substance.

**«Well that's nifty. »**

Becky jumped into a hover at the Narrator's sudden reappearance. Sinking back to her feet, she took a deep breath and chose to ignore him.

"Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully as she quickly read the screen. "This says it's a mineral called 'Aurumine'… composed of—yeah, skip that…and… and that it's one of the two minerals that make up… _lexonite?_"

**«It's **_**lexonite**_**? »**

Bob screeched and smacked his hands to his cheeks in alarm.

"Wait," she continued, holding up her hand. "It says that aurumine actually isn't harmful to Lexiconians…"

Her sidekick calmed down, then scratched his head and squeaked in confusion.

"I don't know why," she admitted, searching the screen for answers. "Um…okay, here's what it says: 'Lexonite is composed of two different elements—aurumine and byrridium. Aurumine is _not_ harmful to the people of Lexicon, and alone it actually augments their off-planet powers'. Hmm, that explains a lot."

Bob nodded and eeped thoughtfully.

"You're right, Bob. If aurumine is actually helpful, then why does Lexonite make me so weak?" Becky wondered, tapping her chin. "Let's see… 'Byrridium, however, acts as a toxin to Lexiconians on its own, and can lead to death if exposed for too long'. Yikes. 'Together, byrridium and aurumine form the compound Lexonite, in which the veins of golden aurumine counteract the lethal properties of the scarlet byrridium. This combination greatly weakens Lexiconians in close proximity of lexonite, but isn't deadly'."

Becky sat in silence for a moment, pondering what she had just read. "Wait…so if lexonite weakens people from Lexicon so much—and I know, it's a lot; I've experienced it—then how do the people of Lexicon survive on the planet? Wouldn't the lexonite everywhere make them too weak to survive?"

**«**_**Plot hole… **_**»**

Bob shook his head, and explained in a short series of squeaks.

"Oh, I didn't know that it's mostly Lexicon's _core_ that's made of lexonite…so they have the planet's crust of other substances as a cushion against the lexonite's effects?"

Bob gave a thumbs up and grinned.

"See? _Not _a plot hole!" Becky announced triumphantly in no particular direction. "Because this is my life, _not_ a story, so there can _be_ no "plot holes". Just stuff we don't know yet."

**«Well, I guess it all makes sense now. That aurumine stuff gave you those powers. »**

"Yeah, I guess so," Becky agreed thoughtfully.

**«And Violet has a necklace just like yours—do you think that could be why she's been acting so…different? Could it give **_**her**_** powers too? »**

"Hmm… This didn't say anything about its effects on people from Earth," she replied, scanning the screen again and typing a few things. "Wait… It says here that they don't react the same way to it; 'While aurumine strengthens Lexiconians, it only projects positive energies onto Earthlings. Likewise, while byrridium is deadly to Lexiconians, it merely projects negative energies onto Earthlings. This means that an Earthling that has encountered aurumine will experience changes in mood and behavior of a benevolent nature; an Earthling that has encountered byrridium will experience changes in mood and behavior of a malevolent nature. If exposure to either element continues for too long, such changes can become permanent'."

Bob gave a hum of acknowledgement as Becky finished reading, and then chirped a question to Becky, who nodded.

"Yeah; it sounds like as long as Violet didn't pick up any of those red pieces—the byrridium—she should be fine. Judging by her behavior she probably didn't, but I'll ask her tomorrow just to make sure. The effects of that stuff sure don't sound good…"

* * *

Tobey glowered as he sat in his room at his desk, his untouched math homework laid out neatly before him. He had just been sent to his room by his mother—at _this_ age, can you even _imagine?_—for saying something in a manner that she had apparently found _disrespectful_. And then, _apparently_, it's unacceptable to accuse your cyclically cantankerous mother of undergoing menopause. He glared at the door again. He was sick of it all—of school, of work, of his mother, of people, of being _good_…

It was true. He didn't _want_ to be 'good' anymore. He longed for the old days, when he would build endless robots for WordGirl to fight. He would always lose in the end, but if he were to start again, now…he was fairly certain his creations would be able to withstand even WordGirl's strongest attacks. With the knowledge that he had now, he could surely engineer an unbeatable robot! An an idea began to form in his mind.

As he plotted and schemed, Tobey absentmindedly fiddled with a rust-red stone, turning it slowly in the palm of his hand.

* * *

***Le gasp!***

**So…what did you think of this chapter? And the whole aurumine/byrridium thing? Please let me know; I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**Your Pal,**

**SuperOreoMan**


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